Sunday Morning Line

Published 3:33 pm, Saturday, April 30, 2011

n It came down to a tie in the District 3-5A baseball standings between Lee and Midland High after both won on Friday, and guess what? They flipped.

They even flipped before the game to get it over with. Good job, gentlemen.

n Now that both baseball teams are in the playoffs for the first time since 2007, how far both of these teams go will be interesting to see. Both have displayed some fortitude this year by bouncing back from disappointing losses at one point during the season.

But navigating Region I in Class 5A baseball is like walking through a briar patch. There are no easy rounds in baseball as I've said before, baseball is still the one sport West Texas teams can still readily compete with teams from the Metroplex.

The only way Lee and Midland High will see each other again is in a regional final, and that is so far down the road it's not even fair to talk about now.

It's good to see both teams back in the playoffs, and let's hope deep playoff runs are in their future.

n Speaking of baseball and playoff runs, Midland Christian is off to a roaring start and for this team, which is senior loaded, nothing short of making the state tournament will likely be a disappointment. This group of seniors came up empty during the football season and are hungry to help bring some hardware back.

First-year coach Mike Munguia has done a good job taking over a team filled with veterans, and hopefully in less than two weeks this team will be in Central Texas vying for a TAPPS 4A state title.

n This spring is probably one of the most important for the Lee and Midland High football teams since I've been in Midland. Both squads have some major pieces to replace on both sides of the ball, but it seems that the Bulldogs will have less questions than the Rebels.

Midland High returns a number of key players on what was possibly the best defense in Yenzer's tenure at the school.

Lee, meanwhile, has too many questions to count for a team that missed the playoffs a year ago. But the word on Neely Avenue is that the coming junior class is one of the stronger classes in a number of years.

The two spring games may provide some answers, but we won't know definitive answers until late August when the season starts.

n Regional track meets begin on Monday as part of this weird schedule thanks to TAKS testing, and the Class 5A meet in Lubbock will have some interesting story lines.

Midland High's Tyler Middleton returns to Lubbock looking for some redemption from last year in the 100 meters, and the two relay teams from Lee could turn some heads on Monday and Tuesday.

n It seems the NFL labor situation has now reached a point where it's the league's lawyers against the players' lawyers. We could be hearing about different rulings for the next few months, and in the process leaving fans wondering when the league will start up again.

The owners are going to do their best to figure out a way to move the lawsuit away from the district in Minnesota.

No matter what happens, the longer this drags on and the more legal mumbo jumbo is out there, the less patient fans will become with both sides. Neither side is ready to give in, which doesn't bode well for the fans.

n I guess we won't have the Geritol-sponsored NBA Finals with the Spurs and the Celtics, thanks the Memphis Grizzlies. I'm not sure if it's that much of a shock the Spurs lost, but there could be more changes coming in San Antonio.

The league, though, didn't give the Grizzlies much time to celebrate, considering they face the Oklahoma City Thunder today.

n And finally, with all the talk about budget cuts, it's interesting to see that districts are still allowing three-game series in baseball and softball with overnight stays involved.